MOST people can be forgiven for wishing their notoriously unflattering passport pictures weren’t of them.

But a man from Collier Row got more than he bargained for when his new passport arrived in the post – with someone else’s photo!

Rod Driscoll, 67, a photographer himself, couldn’t believe his eyes when he opened his new passport to find someone else’s face staring back at him.

The father-of-one said: “When it came back I looked at it and thought who is this looking at me? All my details were the same but the photo was of somebody I’d never seen before.”

Rod joked: “He might be the same age as me but I’m wearing it better than him. You couldn’t say that was me – for one I wear glasses and he doesn’t.”

Rod, of Nelson Close, and wife Pauline, 69, had decided to renew their passports in early November after they were due to run out later that month.

Rod’s first photo was rejected because it was too far away. But he’d assumed his second one had been accepted without a hitch.

Rod called the passport helpline and was told he needed to reapply with a letter explaining the bungle.

“They’re bloody fools,” Rod said, adding “the whole point is Pauline’s sister lives in Spain and she’s on her own and not in the best of health.”

“If anything happened and I had to get overseas quick, I couldn’t.

An Identity and Passport Service spokesperson said: “The Identity and Passport Service always endeavours to maintain the highest levels of accuracy when issuing passports. However in this case a mistake slipped though our security and quality assurance procedures. Our Customer Services team will be contacting Mr Driscoll to offer him a replacement passport, free of charge.”